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April 13, 2010

NASA, Chrysler Establish Partnership To Explore Advanced Technologies

by Sam Savage

A new agreement between NASA and Chrysler may put rocket science on the road and automotive technologies in space. The collaboration seeks to use technologies originally developed for human spaceflight to enhance future vehicles and adapt advanced automotive technology for use in space.

Through its Innovative Partnerships Program, NASA has entered into a non-reimbursable Space Act Agreement with Chrysler Group LLC to coordinate technology development and pursue partnership opportunities in areas such as mobility systems, advanced materials and wireless technologies. The goal of the agreement is to advance technologies in areas of common technical interest by leveraging each organization's skills and expertise. Some of the areas to be reviewed include materials engineering, robotics, radar and battery systems.

"The investment in NASA technologies has led to hundreds of applications here on Earth for several decades now, and this collaboration with Chrysler promises to continue that tradition," said Mike Coats, director of NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

NASA has worked with the Chrysler Group on previous space ventures. In 1961, Chrysler built Redstone rockets for the Mercury Project that put the first American in space. Also, Chrysler built boosters to power the first two Apollo spacecraft, launching Apollo 7 into Earth orbit and Apollo 8 on its way to the moon.